LAYTON — A Clearfield couple has been honored as Foster Parents of the Year.

Angela and Thomas Mayer received the recognition during ceremonies held as part of the recent annual Northern Utah Foster Care Foundation March and luncheon.

They were nominated by a birth mother whose children had been placed in their home. The birth mother attributes a large reason for her success to the positive examples of family, love and support shown by the foster family.

“I have been in and out of foster care since I was 10 years old,” the nominee said. “I was an addict since I was 11, and I had never known what a stable family life was.”

Her children were placed with the Mayers in December of 2011.

“At first, we did not have a good relationship. I felt they wanted to adopt my children and did not care about my progress at all,” the woman said.

“Shortly after I realized they truly cared about my children and me,” she said.

“They opened my eyes to what love and family truly is,” the woman said. “I now know what a stable and nurturing family is supposed to be like, thanks to them. I have met foster parents before and I have never in my life met anyone so caring and loving as them.

“When I need anything: help, support and love, I go to them and they are there for me and my children with open arms, no matter what,” she said.

The mother’s children are now back in her care. But because there is no daycare on weekends, the Mayers care for her children Fridays-Sundays and on sick days. If need be, they drive to Ogden to get the children.

“I now know what family truly is, thanks to their example,” she said. “Their children love me and my children love them. I would trust them with my life,” she added.

In honor of National Foster Care Month, Utah Foster Care, foster families and community members joined to highlight needs of foster children at Ellison Park in Layton.

The group completed a “March for Kids,” with Utah Foster Care Area Representative Brenda Durtschi adding, “We are here to honor foster families, foster care professionals and biological families who work very hard to make significant changes in their lives to have their families reunited in a more healthy and positive environment.”

The Golden Heart Awards were presented to a few “community champions” who seek to provide a positive impact on the lives of children in foster care.

Among nominees was Davis Clipper Managing Editor Tom Busselberg. He was recognized for his responsiveness in bringing awareness to the needs of finding more foster families in Davis County, the release said.

“We could not possibly do our jobs without the assistance of community partners such as Tom,” Durtschi said.